Untitled Document

ACLS Provider Course

SAMPLE ACLS PRE-TEST EXAM
This is a single-answer multiple-choice examination. There is only one correct answer to each question.
1. What would you do first to restore oxygenation and ventilation to an unresponsive,
breathless, near-drowning victim?
a. force water from the victim's lungs by performing the Heimlich maneuver
b. force water from the victim's lungs by starting chest compressions
c. stabilize cervical spine with c-collar and spine board, then start the ABCs
d. open the airway with a jaw-thrust maneuver, provide in-line cervical stabilization, start the ABCs
2. You have just attempted to intubate your patient who is in respiratory arrest. When checking
for tube placement you auscultate
stomach gurgling over the epigastrium, and oxygen saturation (per pulse
oximetry) fails to rise. What would you think the most likely answer would be for these findings?
a. intubation of the hypopharyngeal area
b. intubation of the left main bronchus
c. intubation of the right main bronchus
d. bilateral tension pneumothorax
3. Immediate intubation would be indicated for which of the following patients?
a. an elderly woman with severe chest pain and shallow respirations at 30 breaths/min
b. a 55-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic with ST-segment elevation and runs of VT
c. an apneic patient whose chest does not rise with bag-mask ventilations
d. a subdued, alcohol-intoxicated college student with a reduced gag reflex
4. What is the airway of choice for a trauma victim who is unresponsive and in shock?
a. a tracheal tube
b. the patient's own airway
c. a nasopharyngeal airway
d. an oropharyngeal airway
5. Pleae choose from the list below the proper sequence of events indicated for the performance of
CPR and the operation of an AED.
a. send someone to call 911, attach AED electrode pads, open the airway, turn on the AED, provide
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (1 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
2 breaths, check for a pulse
b. wait for the AED and barrier device to arrive, open the airway, provide 2 breaths, check for a pulse,
if no pulse attach AED electrode pads, follow AED prompts
c. send someone to call 911, open the airway, provide 2 breaths, check for a pulse, if no pulse
attach the AED, follow AED prompts
d. provide 2 breaths, check for a pulse, if no pulse perform chest compressions for 1 minute, call for
the AED, when the AED arrives attach electrode pads
6. You are operating an AED on a man who is unresponsive, pulseless and apnec that has just
collapsed on the job. After
delivery of 3 successive shocks, your pulse check indicates no carotid pulse What is the next
thing you would do?
a. reanalyze the victim's rhythm
b. perform CPR until EMS personnel arrive
c. perform CPR for 1 minute, then reanalyze the victim's rhythm
d. leave the AED attached and start transport to the nearest ED, stopping every 3 minutes for the
AED to reanalyze
7. What drug is indicated next for a patient who remains in VF cardiac arrest after 3 stacked
shocks, tracheal intubation, epinephrine 1 mg
IV, and a 4th shock?
a. amiodarone 150 mg IV given over 10 minutes
b. lidocaine 1 to 1.5 mg/kg IV push
c. procainamide 50 mg/min, up to a total dose of 17 mg/kg
d. magnesium 1 to 2 g, appropriately diluted, IV push
8. A patient in VF cardiac arrest has failed to respond to 3 shocks, epinephrine 1 mg IV, and a 4th
shock. You give the nurse an order to administer epinephrine every 3 minutes during the code.
Which of the following dose regimens is recommended?
a. epinephrine 1 mg, 3 mg, 5 mg, and 7 mg (escalating regimen)
b. epinephrine 0.2 mg/kg per dose (high-dose regimen)
c. epinephrine 1 mg IV push, repeated every 3 minutes
d. epinephrine 1 mg IV push, followed in 3 minutes by vasopressin 40 U IV
9. Your ambulance arrives at the scene of a 49-year-old woman in cardiac arrest. The first AED
analysis registers "shock
indicated." But before the shock can be delivered, you learn that the woman has gone 12 minutes
without any bystander CPR. What actions should you the EMTs take next?
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (2 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
a. resume CPR, supplement with 100% 02, continue until paramedics arrive
b. allow the AED to charge and shock
c. resume CPR, supplement with 100% 02 for 3 minutes, reanalyze, shock if indicated
d. resume CPR, contact medical control, request permission to stop resuscitative efforts
10. When using vasopressin on a patient who remains in persistent VF arrest after 3 shocks. Which
of the following guidelines for use of vasopressin is true?ue?
a. give vasopressin 40 U every 3 to 5 minutes
b. give vasopressin for better vasoconstriction and -adrenergic; stimulation than provided by
epinephrine
c. give vasopressin as an alternative to epinephrine in shock-refractory VF
d. give vasopressin as the first-line pressor agent for clinical shock caused by hypovolemia
11. A patient presents to your unit. CPR continues with ventilations provided through a
endotracheal tube inserted
in the hallway. Chest compressions produce a femoral pulse that disappears during a "stop
compressions" pause. During the pause the cardiac monitor shows narrow QRS complexes at a
rate
of 67 bpm. What is the next action you should take?
a. check for tracheal tube dislodgment and improper tube placement
b. start an IV, administer atropine 1 mg IV push
c. start an IV, send blood samples for measurement of serum electrolytes and a toxic drug screen
d. analyze arterial blood gases to check for acidosis, hypoxia, and hypoventilation
12. Your patient presents with PEA. You auscultate excellent bilateral breath sounds bilateral, and
you see excellent
bilateral chest rise. Two minutes after epinephrine 1 mg IV is given, PEA continues at 30 bpm.
What
action would you take next?
a. administer atropine 1 mg IV
b. initiate transcutaneous pacing at a rate of 60 bpm
c. start a doparnine IV infusion at 15 to 20 pg/kg per minute
d. give epinephrine (1 mL of 1:10 000 solution) IV bolus
13. Your patient presents with PEA. When would sodium bicarbonate therapy (1 mEq/kg) be most
effective?
a. a patient with hypercarbic acidosis due to a tension pneumothorax
b. a patient with a brief arrest interval
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (3 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
c. a patient with documented severe hyperkalemia
d. a patient with documented severe hypokalemia
14. An unresponsive, pulseless, apnec patient arrives in your unit in PEA at 30 bpm. CPR
continues, ET tube placement is
confirmed, and IV access is secured. Which of the following medications would you
give next?
a. calcium chloride 5 mL of 10% solution IV
b. epinephrine 1 mg IV
c. synchronized cardioversion at 200 J
d. sodium bicarbonate 1 mEq/kg IV
15. What drug-dose combination is recommended as the first line medication to give to a
patient in asystole?
a. epinephrine 3 mg IV
b. atropine 3 mg IV
c. epinephrine 10 mL of a 1:10 000 solution IV
d. atropine 0.5 mg IV
16. When a monitor attached to a person in cardiac arrest displays a "flat line," you should
execute the
"flat line protocol." Which of the following actions is included in this protocol?
a. check monitor display for sensitivity or "gain"b. obtain a right-sided 12-lead ECG
c. change LEAD SELECT control from lead // to paddles and back
d. administer a lower energy (100 J) defibrillatory shock to "bring out" possible occult VF
17. A 76-year-old woman in cardiac arrest arrives in the ED after 15 minutes of continuous
asystole. The patiente is intubated, proper tube placement is confirmed, IV access established, and
epinephrine 1 mg IV x 3 and atropine 1 mg IV x 2 have been administered. Which of the following
actions is most likely to have
the most advantageous effect and is consistent with the recommendations in ECC Guidelines
2001?
a. ask the nurse to bring members of the immediate family to a private area, where you discuss code
termination and family presence at the resuscitation
b. stop efforts at 10 minutes if there is no response to epinephrine 3 mg IV every 3 minutes
c. stop efforts at 10 minutes if there is no response to transcutaneous pacing given with CPR
d. stop efforts if there is no response to 3 empiric defibrillatory shocks of 360 J given 3 minutes apart
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (4 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
18. A 60-year-old woman has a 4-mm ST-elevation in leads V2 to V4. The women has severe chest
pain despite
oxygen, aspirin, nitroglycerin SL x 6, and morphine 10 mg IV. BP = 168/112 mm Hg; HR = 118
bpm.
Which of the following treatment combinations is most appropriate for this patient at this time
(assume no contraindications to any medication)?
a. calcium channel blocker IV + heparin bolus IV
b. ACE inhibitor IV + lidocaine infusion
c. magnesium sulfate IV + enoxaparin (Lovenox) SQ
d. reteplase, recombinant (Retavase) + heparin bolus IV
19. Which of the following treatments is included in the definitive therapy for a 62-year-old man
with >3mm ST-segment elevation within 30 minutes of the onset of symptoms of acute myocardial
infarction?
a. fibrinolytics or PCI, aspirin, -blockers, heparin
b. heparin, aspirin, glycoprotein Ilb/Illa inhibitors, IV -blockers, nitrates
c. serum cardiac markers, serial ECGs, perfusion scan or stress test
d. prophylactic lidocaine, fluid bolus, vasopressor infusion
20. Within 45 minutes of arrival in your ED, which of the following evaluation sequences should be
performed for a
56-year-old woman with facial droop, garbled speech, rapid onset of headache,and right arm and
leg weakness?
a. history, physical and neurologic exams, noncontrast head CT with radiologist interpretation
b. history, physical and neurologic exams, noncontrast head CT, start of fibrinolytic treatment if scan
is positive for stroke
c. history, physical and neurologic exams, lumbar puncture, contrast head CT if LP is negative for
blood
d. history, physical and neurologic exams, contrast head CT, start of fibrinolytic treatment when
improvement in neurologic signs is noted
21. An acute stroke may exhibit signs and symptoms of which of the following conditions?
a. acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia
b. acute hypoxia
c. isotonic dehydration and hypovolemia
d. acute vasovagal or orthostatic hypotension
22. For which of the following rhythms would transcutaneous cardiac pacing be indicated?
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (5 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
a. sinus bradycardia with no symptoms
b. normal sinus rhythm with hypotension and shock
c. complete heart block with pulmonary edema
d. asystole that follows 6 or more defibrillation shocks
23. A man with a HR of 30 to 35 bpm complains of SOB, cool clammy extremities, and dizziness
with minimal exercise. What drug would be indicated first to treat this patient?
a. atropine 0.5 to I mg
b. epinephrine 1 mg IV push
c. isoproterenol infusion 2 to 10 4min
d. adenosine 6 mg rapid IV push
24. Syncronized cardioversion is indicated for which of the following patients?
a. a 78-year-old woman with fever, pneumonia, chronic congestive heart failure, and sinus
tachycardia at 125 bpm
b. a 55-year-old man with multifocal atrial tachycardia at 125 bpm, respiratory rate of 12
breaths/minute, and BP of 134/86 mm Hg
c. a 69-year-old woman with a history of coronary artery disease, chest pain, a 2-mm ST
elevation, and sinus tachycardia at 130 bpm
d. a 62-year-old man with a history of rheumatic mitral valve disease, obvious shortness of breath,
HR of 160 bpm, and BP of 80/50 mm Hg
25. In which of the senerio's below would you not cardiovert a patient with stable tachycardia
a. a 25-year-old wheezing asthmatic woman who has pneumonia on chest x-ray, who is taking
albuterol, and who has the following vital signs: temp = 101.2'F, HR = 140 bpm, resp = 20
breaths/min
b. a 55-year-old man with diaphoresis, bilateral rales, and the following vital signs: HR = 140 bpm,
BP = 90/55 mrn Hg, resp = 18 breaths/min, rhythm = rapid atrial flutter
c. a 62-year-old man with a wide-complex tachycardia at a rate of 140 bpm, chest pain,
shortness of breath, and palpitations
d. a 55-year-old woman with chest pain, shortness of breath, extreme weakness and
dizziness, BP of 88/54 mm Hg, and a narrow-complex tachycardia at a rate of 145 bpm
26. You prepare to cardiovert an unstable 44-year-old tachycardic man with the
monitor/defibrillator in
"synchronization" mode. He suddenly becomes unresponsive and pulseless as the rhythm
changes to a VF-like pattern. You charge the defibrillator to 200 J and press the SHOCK button,
but the defibrillator fails to deliver a shock. Why?
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (6 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
a. the defibrillator/monitor battery failed
b. the "sync" switch failed
c. you cannot shock VF in "sync" mode
d. a monitor lead has lost contact, producing the "pseudo-VF" rhythm
27. A 60-year-old man complains of mild lightheadedness and palpitations, but the findings of his
exam are unremarkable. The ECG shows a regular, narrow-complex tachycardia at 150
bpm. The Valsalva maneuver slows the ventricular rate to reveal atrial flutter, but it does
not convert the atrial flutter. Which of the following therapies should you try next?
a. IV adenosine to slow ventricular rate
b. IV diftiazem to slow ventricular rate
c. urgent DC cardioversion
d. IV dopamine to strengthen cardiac contractions
28. A healthy 49-year-old woman complains of tightness in her chest, dizziness, and palpitations.
HR is
165 bpm, BP is 88/58 mm Hg, and the ECG shows a narrow-complex tachycardia. You decide that
the rhythm is multifocal atrial tachycardia. He has failed to respond to vagal maneuvers and 2
rounds
of adenosine. Which of the following treatments is inappropriate?
a. IV amiodarone
b. IV metoprolol
c. IV diltiazem
d. DC cardioversion
29. A 71-year-old woman presents with 6 days of lightheadedness, palpitations, and slight
exercise intolerance. The 12-lead reveals atrial fibrillation, which continues
at a HR of 130 to 160 bpm and SP = 102/72 mm Hg. Which of the following treatments is the
most appropriate intervention?
a. sedation, analgesia, then immediate cardioversion
b. oxygen via nasal cannula at 2 to 6 Umin, normal saline at 60 to 120 mL/h
c. amiodarone 300 mg IV bolus
d. metoprolol 5 mg IV; repeat every 5 minutes to a total dose of 15 mg
30. A 56-year-old, malnourished, chronic alcoholic presents with polymorphic ventricular
tachycardia that
resembles torsades de pointes. His HR is irregular at 120 to 160 bpm, and his BP is 95/65 mm Hg.
He has no related symptoms and no signs of impaired heart function. Which of the following
treatments is most appropriate at this time?
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (7 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]
Untitled Document
a. IV amiodarone
b. IV magnesium
c. IV lidocaine
d. IV procainamide
31. You are performing CPR on a uresponsive pulseless apnec woman in cardiac arrest when a co-
worker arrives and attaches an AED.
With the first AED analysis a shock is "indicated" and delivered, but the next rhythm analysis
signals "no shock advised." What acton would you take next?
a. check for a pulse
b. press the manual OVERRIDE button and operate the AED as a manual defibrillator
c. insert an oropharyngeal airway and start 100% oxygen at 6 Umin
d. support breathing and place the patient in the recovery position until the hospital code team arrives
32. Which patient below is most likely to present with vague signs and symptoms of an
atypical AMI?
a. a 65-year-old woman with moderate coronary artery disease recently confirmed by
angiography
b. a 56-year-old man who smokes 3 packs per day but has no history of heart disease
c. a 45-year-old woman diagnosed with type I diabetes 22 years ago
d. a 48-year-old man in the ICU after coronary artery bypass surgery
33. A 50-year-old woman (weight = 60 kg) with recurrent VF has converted to a wide complex
perfusing rhythm after epinephrine 1 mg IV and a 4th shock (HR = 70 bpm, BP = 92/62 mm
Hg). Which drug therapy is most appropriate to give next?
a. amiodarone 300 mg IV push
b. adenosine 6 mg rapid IV push
c. magnesium 3 g IV push, diluted in 10 mL of D5W
d. procainamide 20 to 50 mg/min, up to a maximum dose of 17 mg/kg
ACLS Provider Course
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Ken/My%20Documents/acls.htm (8 of 8) [9/24/2003 1:39:50 PM]